Teen Life in South Korea

Eric Dwyer

Florida International University

1.Introduction
to Teen Life in South Korea

When teenagers in South Korea watch
the news on TV, they might see two different maps of their country when the
weather comes on. One map might show just South Korea, indicating temperatures
and forecasts for various towns and cities located in the southern half of the
Korean Peninsula, roughly the section of land that comes below 38 degrees north
latitude. Sometimes, though, a map comes on showing a combination the entire
peninsula, thereby giving temperatures of towns and cities in what we usually
think of as two countries: South Korea and North Korea.But as the 21st century
begins, this second map with both Koreas together has come to symbolize the
bringing back together of two countries that at one time actually were one
single country. The two Koreas have officially been at war since 1950, although
there has rarely been any shooting since 1953. There still exist many tensions
today. Nevertheless, as Korean teenagers enter this period in history, this map
symbolizes perhaps the most optimistic time in Korean history in over 100
years.

In 1990, Koreans looked with
tremendous interest when the Berlin Wall came down, and East and West Germany
came together to re-form a nation divided for 45 years. The families on both
sides of the North and South Korean border also have been dreaming of such an
event, and the breaking of the Berlin Wall thus re-ignited these dreams held by
families on both sides of the 38th parallel border that divides North and South
Korea. Then in the year 2000, the President of South Korea, Kim Tae-Jung,
affectionately known as T.J., met with the President of North Korea, Kim
Jong-Il. Through their talks, a handful of families that had not had contact in
over 50 years were finally able to meet, the North and South Korean Olympic
teams walked together as one team under a flag that showed a map of the two
countries together (though they competed separately) during the 2000 Olympics
in Sydney, and President Kim Tae-Jung won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The teenagers of Korea have a life
different from their parents in that they are now learning to live with the
optimism and the reality of these dreams, although their relatives have been
waiting through it for over 50 years. The situation at the beginning of the 21st
century is still far from perfect. The border between South and North Korea is
still closed, and North Korea remains one of the most isolated and secretive
nations on Earth. Furthermore, due to the US military presence in South Korea,
US citizens are rarely permitted into North Korea. As a result, while teenagers
view the future of their country with optimism, it is a guarded and deliberate
optimism. Most people in South Korea, including teenagers, will tell you that
it is wiser to reunify slowly, as recommended by President Kim’s Sunshine
Policy, rather than quickly, so that the
two countries can get used to each other’s philosophies and so that the
economic strain on the event isn’t so strenuous. Still, it is optimism.
Some South Korean relatives of North Korean families may now travel to North
Korea, a new North Korean mountain resort run by the South Korean Hyundai car
company now operates regularly, and there are plans to develop a train between
the capitals of the two countries—Seoul and Pyongyang. So, yes, the map
of a unified Korea represents the bringing together of two countries, but many
people in Korea see it as a reunion of members of one family.

Still, if one looks at a map of the
Korean Peninsula, one can see that in spite of its openness to
internationalism, South Korea is in some ways still very isolated.South Korea is otherwise surrounded by
water, and all access to the rest of the world must be by boat or airplane. As
a result, Koreans haven’t left their country very often, nor have they
been visited by people from other countries often. As a result, the country has
been referred to as the “Hermit Kingdom.” Furthermore, the long
history of Korea is marked by armies from China, Japan, the Soviet Union, and
the United States, who have come to Korea in an effort to control this
strategic landmark . As a result, Koreans historically have a suspicion
regarding foreigners and their motivation for being in their land.

Nevertheless, as the 21st
century, internationalism, the internet, and a new generation grow, the
teenagers of today’s Korea are more able to comfortably share their
heritage with their neighbors, China and Japan, as well as the rest of the
world. As a result, we now see young Koreans expressing the warmth, kindness,
and pride of their descendents from Manchuria and Mongolia.

Brief timeline of Korean
History

700000 BC

Start of human habitation,
according to Korean history records.

7193-2333 BC

Beginning records of
Korean people—known as Dongyi—in
the peninsula and extended territory extending well into modern day China and
Russia. Dongyi people are ruled by 18 leaders known as Han-ung.

2333-75 BC

Choson period

Marked by continuous
invasions and occupations by forces from modern day China, as well as power
tugs-of-war among various Korean groups.

42-676 AD

Samguk Shidae (Three
Kingdoms) period

Marked by additional
influences from China and the importation of Buddhism

676-918 AD

Palhae-Unified Shilla
(North-South Kingdoms) period

Marked by various battles
over the Korean throne.

918-1392 AD

Koryo Dynasty

Marked by advances in
pottery, literature, and Koryo Buddhism.

1392-1910 AD

Choson Dynasty

Known as the “last
traditional kingdom before the onslaught of modern culture in the land of the
morning calm.”

1910-1945 AD

Colonialism under Japan

Marked by the abdication
of Korean emperor Sunjong and the taking over of power by the Japanese.
Japanese authorities installed Japanese based educational and land-management
reforms throughout the country, known as “forced assimilation.”
Koreans suffered tremendous oppression and heavy death tolls under Japanese
military rule. A famous uprising in 1919 is canonized as a holiday each March
1.

1945-1950 AD

Origins of the Korean War

Marked by Japan’s
surrender due to the dropping of the US atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Forces from
the Soviet Union then swept through Manchuria and North Korea, taking the
territory north of the 38th parallel. The United States controlled
the territory south of this parallel. The Soviets established Kim Il Sung as
the leading Communist figure in North Korea. The North also had support of the
Chinese military. The US military retained steadfast supporters of Democracy in
South Korea. As a result, two countries with opposing non-reconciling
governments were established.

1950-1953 AD

Korean War

President Harry Truman
send US troops to take part in what was called a “police action” in
response to an surge by Russian and North Korean forces crossing south across
the 38th parallel. Control of the largest city Seoul chaotically
changed hands from North to South four times during this period.

The war is marked by the
deaths of over million Koreans (10 percent of the population), one million Chinese,
and 50,000 US troops.

1953-present

Marked by the
South’s recovery from the war and advance as a leading economic power in
the world. Also marked by Seoul’s hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympic
Games and South Korean president Kim Tae-Jong’s winning of the 2000 Nobel
Peace Prize for his policy on reunification.

2. Typical Day for Teen Life in South Korea

First,
it’s important to understand what the word “teen” means by
Korean standards. The age system in Korea starts from conception of the child. As
a result, when babies are born, they are automatically classified as “one
year old.” They then turn “two years old” on January 1 of the
following year. As a result, children born in the last week of December are
considered by Korean tradition to be two years old only one week after their
birth. As a result, Korean teenagers are actually a year or two younger than
teenagers from other countries.

The focal point of a Korean’s young daily life
is school. By law, all children are required to go to school through high
school. The principal goal in a Korean teenager's life is to work toward their
university entrance exam. This exam is central to all they do and the decisions
they make. As the 21st century opens, over 70 percent of all South Korean
teenagers matriculate in universities or junior colleges. (This is in
comparison to just 30 percent in 1990.) As a result, Korean teenagers can spend
up to 16 hours a day, Monday through Friday, and Saturday mornings, working on
their coursework. The reason for putting their exam as their principal priority
is that jobs and financial gain in the future is dependent almost exclusively
on the name of the university one attends. As a result, from the earliest days
of pre-school, parents and teachers push children toward studying so that they
may enter the top universities in Seoul, namely Seoul National University,
Yongsei University, and Korea University. Students who attend these
universities can expect to be invited by top companies for employment, a
lucrative job that could very well be their only job for their entire lives.

The day often begins with a light
breakfast or cleaning of one’s room. For teenagers living in boarding
schools, the dorm room cleaning is part of their grade. While students will be
studying or in class for as many as 16 hours in a day, there is usually a short
morning period and a long evening period when students study on their own.
Students often have their own carrels in libraries where they may keep their
textbooks and school supplies. These carrels also serve as their study areas
during their self-study time. When students aren’t in their study
carrels, they are taking one of seven or eight classes that stretch until
around 4:00 pm. At that time, though, most students join a team to clean the school
or participate in sporting activities. They may then have dinner at school,
whereupon they either return to their study carrel or attend classes elsewhere
in their town.

Due to the intensity of studying,
teenagers rarely hold part-time jobs. Parents and teachers won't let them. From
the time children start kindergarten, many parents are already pushing them
into gaining scholastic advantages. Some parents will spend as much as
$600/month to have their five-year-olds study English in private preschools.
Even high schools have entrance exams, and students with the best scores
therefore attend those schools known throughout the country as "the best
schools," regardless of their parents’ income or ability to pay.
There are several schools throughout the country that claim to be the best
because their students have had the best entrance exam scores. A number of
these are boarding schools, so the teenagers live away from their families.
These boarding schools are also often in rural areas, so the students are limited
to the temptation of outside city-borne activities off campus. As a result,
many of the students in the top schools move from Seoul to the countryside to
do their high school work.

Parents
pay fees to have their children go to school, but the amount of the general fee
is essentially the same throughout the country, regardless of the
classification of the school. However, it is worth noting that students not
attending the top schools are still in full competition with those attending
top high schools for those positions at Korea's top universities. As a result,
many students at non-boarding schools will attend cram schools, known as haguan, in the evenings in order to update and help them
compete with those in Korea's top schools. Parents actively support their
children in the haguan, although
it does put an extra financial burden on them to do so.

Teenagers are usually responsible
for their own transportation to and from school. Most students take buses or
the subway in larger cities. If one is running late, it is not unusual for
teenagers to take a taxi to school because taxi fare is quite inexpensive.
Parents rarely drive their children to school, and teenagers are unable to take
their family car because the age for receiving a driver’s license in
Korea is 20, the same as the drinking age. Furthermore, students generally
enroll in expensive driving schools in order to receive their permits.

first of six classes for the day, though the subjects are different
every day

11:30

lunch

school has a cafeteria, but many buy food at nearby restaurants and
stores or bring

lunch boxes called toshira

12:30

classes resume

5:00

dinner at school

6:00

choice of studying at school at individual study carrels or going to a
cram school,

known as a haguan

study until 10:00 or 11:00 pm, well past 1:00 am during examination
preparation time

3. Family life for teens in South Korea

In
spite of the intensity of daily study, families do manage to show tremendous
camaraderie. On weekends, parks and riversides are filled with picnickers.
Families make regular outings with their children, often to bookstores,
national parks, and beaches. It’s not uncommon to see families with
sketchbooks, watercolors, and brushes, painting in parks on Saturdays. Some
families with a lineage of artists have their children study the craft or trade
of their family in order to carry on the family business. Such art includes
ceramics, masks, knot tying known as maedup,
patchwork cloths, paper design, and calligraphy. Such trade used to include
fishing and farming, but has given way to Korean’s thirst for a degree
from a top university and a job in industries dealing with semiconductors,
communications[1], shipping,
and automobiles.

And while many parents choose
careers for their children, there is seldom disagreement from the children.
Most students will proudly salute the support they get from their parents and
state the extent to which they look forward to outings with their families.

There
exists hierarchy in Korean families. Like most families in East Asia, the
eldest child is held in highest esteem and holds greater responsibility than
the other siblings, especially if the eldest is male. When you state that you
have a brother or a sister, the first question a Korean might ask you is,
“Is he/she older or younger than you?” Traditionally, the extended
family of aunts and uncles was important, but in modern times, such practice
has given way to an emphasis on the nuclear family.

Korea
is a very crowded country. As a result, most families live in apartments. Often
the apartments are in high-rise buildings provided by major businesses in the
country. Even in the countryside, it is common to see a ten-story high rise
next door to a rice field. As a result, families and teens carry out family
activities and meet friends outside of the home. Rarely are guests invited
over. There simply isn’t enough room. In fact, in some houses, living
rooms and bedrooms are often the same room, with the mattress and pillows kept
in closets, only to be taken out for sleeping time. Nevertheless, if you are
invited over, you can expect to take your shoes off at the front door, sleep on
a heated floor known as an ondol, and
eat from a central set of plates and bowls, from which everyone chooses what
they want to eat.

4. Traditional and non-traditional food dishes in South
Korea

The
heart of any Korean meal is gimchi.
That’s pickled cabbage with red peppers and red bean paste. Most Koreans
are addicted to it and include it in every single meal. Many Korean dishes are
spicy in that red pepper, garlic, and onions are essential ingredients in
almost every Korean recipe. Other components to regular Korean meals are rice,
soup, soy beans, seaweed, and other side dishes. Everything is served at the
same time. Meat is also integral to lunch and dinner. Common examples include galbi--a set of barbecued short ribs brazed in soy sauce,
honey, ginger, and garlic; bulgogi—grilled
beef marinated in mixture of bean paste, grated pear, soy sauce, sesame oil,
cooking wine, and sugar; and fish or squid—both in raw, cooked, and dried
forms. The typical meal has one big plate, a bowl for soup, and several little
side dishes. The side dishes usually entail vegetables of some sort,
particularly seaweed, soy beans, cucumbers, eggplant, bean sprouts, tomatoes,
and of course gimchi. For special
plates, there is also usually a stack of lettuce and persimmon leaves. Here,
people often use the leaf the same way one would use a slice of bread. They
take the leaf in their hand; then they take metal chopsticks and place the meat
in the center of the leaf, add a condiment or two, usually raw garlic and hot
red pepper sauce, and fold the leaf around the meat and condiments to make a
sort of leaf-based sandwich. They then pop the entire concoction in their
mouth. To make noise in doing so is considered a means of telling the preparer
or host that the food is good. Noodles, served both hot and cold, are also
popular items. Slurping these noodles and letting them hang from the chopsticks
is also considered good manners. Bibimbap is the combination of stewed vegetables and rice with red pepper
sauce. It’s found almost anywhere, and is often accompanied by a raw or
fried egg. All the ingredients of bibimbap are served in a large bowl, and it’s considered good manners to
stir all the ingredients with a large metal spoon for a long time before
digging in. Finally, in addition to cold noodles, another summertime treat is boshingtang, also known as dog soup.

Cafeterias
at Korean schools often serve both lunch and dinner. A typical school lunch
consists of rice, gimchi, soup,
tomatoes, spaghetti, peas, and fish. Some teenagers will bring their own lunch
in the form of a special box, known as a toshira. Parents often prepare toshira so that their
children can experience some variety in their meals they otherwise
wouldn’t get if they ate cafeteria food every day.

Korean
teens also enjoy fast food. In fact, some parents complain that Korean
youngsters’ penchant for hamburgers and pizza is making their children
fat. However, the most popular hamburgers and pizza have a Korean twist to
them. Hamburgers often have bulgogi grilled beef, shrimp, or squid as its main
meat. Sometimes, the bread is replaced by two “buns” made of
compacted and sculpted sticky rice. Popular pizza toppings include bulgogi,
squid, potatoes, peas, gimchi, and corn. Furthermore, pizzas in Korea typically
have only just a touch of tomato sauce. Japanese fast foods have also become
more popular. It’s now easy to find restaurants that serve chicken, fish,
and pork cutlets, made in the Japanese style, complete with miso soup and
pickled daikon radish.

Koreans
rarely eat dessert. Nevertheless, Korean junk food has gained tremendous
popularity throughout Asia and Australia, and has become an integral part of
Korean desserts. Ice cream, doughnuts, and red bean parfait with crushed ice,
fruit cocktail, milk and ice cream, known as patbingsu, are common sweets eaten as in-between-meal snacks.

Chinese
medicine is integral part of Korean life. Pharmacies comfortably sell both
Western prescription drugs as well as Chinese herbs. Among these is ginseng, a
root that has been revered for thousands of years as a miracle food. Ginseng
cannot be cultivated in any other country than Korea. As a result, markets are
full of shops that carry ginseng, both in its fresh form, as well as in candy.

6.Astringency (as found in an unripe
persimmon, though often accomplished with sesame oil)

7.Ingredient for intensifying or enhancing
flavor

Chart of foods:

Barbecued Short Ribs

Bean sprout Rice

Bulgogi

Chap Jae

Chap Chye

Chicken Soup

Chicken Soup With Clams

CrockPot Beef Stew

Dumpling Soup

Fried Kelp

Grilled Beef

Gimchi Poke In Rice Paper
Taco

Marinated Skirt Steak

Mussel Bisque

Pine Nut Gruel

Rice-Cake Soup

Spareribs Braised with
Sesame Sauce

Roast Garlic Soup With
Thyme

VegetablesMix with Rice

Beuseus Denjang Jeege
(Spiced Mushroom Stew)

Bori Cha (Roasted, Unhulled Barley Water Tea)

Bosam Gimchi (Stuffed Cabbage Pickle)

Chong Kak Kimchi (Young Bachelor Radish Pickle)

Dak Gochu Jang Boekum (Chicken in a Hot Chili Sauce)

Dak Kalgusku (Chicken Shreds in Noodle Soup)

Ehoba Pak Jon (Fried Young Squash)

Gaji Gimchi (Eggplant Pickle)

Gaji Namul (Steamed Eggplant Salad)

Gaktugi Kimchi (Pickled Radish)

Gimchi Jiege (Kimchi and Pork Soup)

Gimchi Jigae (Cabbage Kimchi Soup)

Gongnamul Gook (Soybean Sprout Soup)

Gonghamul Kuk Bap (Korean Rice Breakfast)

Maewoon Ojingau Bokum (Chili-Hot Squid with Vegetables)

Rice Cake Soup (Ttokkuk)

Sliced Korean Radish (Muu Namul)

Traditional Red Beans and Rice (Pat Baap)

Wizard's Barbecue (Shinsullo or Jungol)

5-Grain Rice (O Kok)

Grilled Spiced Fish (Sen
Saen Yang Jung Chang Kui)

Marun Panchan (Sweet Dried
Anchovy Korean Condiment)

Miyuk (Seaweed Soup)

Mu saengch'ae (White
Korean Radish Strips)

Myulchi Boekum (Dried
Anchovy Condiment)

Oee Namul Muchim (Cucumber
Salad)

Oie Sobaegi (Stuffed
Cucumber Pickle)

On Myon (Hot Noodle Soup)

Sae Me Duk (Steamed
Buckwheat Cake)

Soe Gan Jon (Beef or Veal
Liver Fritter)

Soo Jeung Kwa (Persimmon
Punch)

Wanja Tang (Meatball Soup)

Yang Yeum Kanjang
(Seasoned Dipping Sauce)

Yoel Mu Mul Kimchi
(Pickled Young Radish Leaves)

Yul Mu Kimchi (White
Radish Pickle)

Skewered Chicken (Dak
Sanjuk)

Steamed Chili with Sesame
(Gochu Muchim)

Yachae Chigae (Hot
Vegetable Soup)

Yonggyebaeksuk (Spring
Chicken Soup)

Baechu Daenchang Kuk
(Chinese Cabbage Soup

with Brown Sauce)

Barbecued Chicken (Dak
Bulgogi)

Barbecued Spiced Fish
(Seng Sun Bulgogi)

Barbecued Squid Rectangles
(Ojingau Bulgogi)

Beefsteak Barbecue
(Bulgogi)

Barbecued Beef #2
(Bulgogi)

Beef and Mushroom Barbecue
on a Skewer

(Nutari Beuseus Gochengi
Bulgogi)

Blanched Zucchini Strips
(Hobak Namul)

Broiled Todok (Todokkui)

Chicken Stew (Dak Jchim)

Clear Spinach Soup (Malgun
Sigumchi Kuk)

Dubu Daenchang Chigae
(Bean Curd Soup

(Tofu) with Brown Sauce)

Highly Seasoned Raw Crab
(Gye Muchim)

Malgun Chang Kuk (Clear
Turnip Soup)

Oxtail Stew (Sokkori
Jchim)

Potato and Onion Soup

Rice Porridge (Hun Chuk)

5. Schooling for Teen Life in South Korea

Junior high school students may
take up to 14 of 15 subjects in a single school year while senior high students
may take as many as 18, though never all in a single day. Each subject has at
least one standardized exam within the school year, and often there are as many
as four, often falling in May, July, October, and November. Additionally, most
teachers will give mock tests once or twice each month to help students prepare
for the major exams. Subjects include Korean literature, mathematics, English,
Mandarin Chinese, music, art, chemistry, physical education, earth science and
biology, geography, and ethics.

Students
must select their university or college major in their second year of high
school. The kind of university they choose to go to, and in effect the kind of
university entrance exam they take, will be determined by this important
decision. As a result, it is not uncommon for high schoolers to have clear
opinions regarding what they want to be when they grow up. The most popular
profession mentioned by teenagers is education. Yes, a tremendous number of
teenagers say they want to become teachers. Other commonly mentioned
professions include journalists, diplomats, engineers, architects, designers,
doctors, and flight attendants. Many parents will decide the career choices for
their children, often asking their children to continue family businesses,
although this practice has diminished slightly in the recent years.

Traditionally,
schools have been divided by gender, though this changed dramatically in the
1990s. Now there are more schools that are coed. Often there are as many as 50
students in a single homeroom class. The teachers of homeroom classes not only
serve as the teachers of the subject for which they have expertise, but they
also serve as guidance counselors for the students in the homeroom. This is
particularly important for teenagers who have just moved to boarding schools,
who are spending their first days away from their families, and are living with
strangers in narrow dormitory rooms for the first time.

The
classroom is often set up with individual desks, aligned in rows and columns in
front of a blackboard or whiteboard. The teacher usually stands behind a podium
and lectures. Students are not encouraged to ask questions too often in that
mistakes may be punished.

For
each subject, a specific textbook is required. Textbooks are not provided by
the schools, so families must buy books for their children. As a result, one
may find many bookstores throughout the country. In some bookstores, entire
floors are devoted to the selling of textbooks, not only for teenagers’
regular schooling, but also for their participation in the haguan. The bookstores are extremely popular. They are
always full of people, and bookstores generally allow customers to freely read
and look at any book. Many parents will take their children on regular outings
to bookstores.

The school year starts at the
beginning of March and goes through mid to late July. Students then have 40
days of vacation. Students return in September for a second term and go to mid
to late February. There is, however, a brief winter vacation for Christmas and
New Year’s. The spring vacation usually lasts no more than ten days and
is the vacation that leads students from one grade to the next.

6. Social Life for Teen Life in South Korea

In
spite of the intense studying, Korean teenagers do find time to have fun. Often
they meet in school at club meetings. Usually these gatherings occur on campus
on Friday afternoons, and many schools will sponsor as many as 20 clubs,
ranging from drama, radio broadcasting, filming, conversation in foreign
languages, newspapers, astronomy, and cartoon animation.

Off
campus, many teenagers list sleeping as their favorite hobby, although
listening to music, swimming, soccer, baseball, tennis, and Korean billiards
are popular, as well. As for the best places to meet, many teenagers will meet
at fast-food restaurants, libraries, karaoke parlors (known as noreibang), and computer game rooms (known as PC
bang)[2].
Recently, Korean-made movies such as Jingu have gained international notoriety, so theaters have become more
popular.

Teenagers
do date one another, though to do so is the exception rather than the rule. In
some schools, the event of two teenagers going out regularly is to be labeled
as a CC, or “campus
couple.”However, discussing
dating is not something teens in Korea regularly do. In fact, to do so is a
little tricky. Many teenagers will tell adults that they’re too busy to
be interested in dating. Some people suggest that silence regarding the
discussion of love and dating is founded in the Korean proverb, Nam
yeo chisae bu tungseop, or “seven-year-old boys and girls
don’t sit together in the same room.” Hence, there may be pressure
to either not date or at least keep quiet about it. While this in itself may be
true, the first questions teenagers ask of older friends are almost immediately,
1) How old are you? 2) Are you married?, and 3) If not, why not? So there is an
inherent interest.

Teenagers expect to get married,
though generally, most Koreans don’t get married until they’re well
out of college or university. Women try to marry before they’re 26. Men
have more time because they are required to spend 26 months in the military.
Still there is generally significant pressure placed upon any single person to
get married. Traditional Korean weddings and church weddings are common, but there
also exists a large number of “wedding plazas”—large
buildings built in the shape of castles where couples may have ceremonies
representing both Western and Korean imagery, and have post-wedding parties. It
is also common to see newlywed couples taking wedding photographs in the city
parks on Sunday afternoons. Pre-arranged weddings are certainly part of Korean
history, but that practice has diminished significantly over the recent years.

Teenagers, and most Koreans in
general, feel very uncomfortable regarding sexual topics. In fact, it is
practically a forbidden subject between parents and their children. As a
result, the Ministry of Education has given opportunities for nurses, teachers,
and counselors to give sex education in the schools. Many students are directed
to additional information resources, principally the internet and magazines,
thereby keeping the topics quiet and personal while not discouraging access to
the information. Nevertheless, teenage pregnancies are on the rise in Korea,
and adoption of Korean children by foreigners from other countries has become
more and more prominent.

While drug and alcohol abuse is
rarely reported in Korea, or even considered a major social problem, a type of
gang violence known as wang-ta has
received recent attention and given some cause for concern. In wang-ta, groups of students find physically weak or passive
students to beat up. Such a practice is found in Japanese mafia groups in an
activity known as “Easy man,” and some Korean teenagers have picked
up on the practice.

However, wang-ta is the extreme and certainly not the norm. Korea
enjoys tremendously low crime, and the streets are safe to walk at any time of
day—even in Seoul, a city of over 10 million people. Nevertheless,
teenagers do find ways to get into trouble. The most popular way for boys is to
smoke. However, it is not uncommon to see the computer game room PC
bangs filled with young boys smoking.
Furthermore, many schools have smoking rooms for their male teachers. Apart
from smoking, students are often reprimanded for coming to class late, having
hair that’s too long, not eating the food they take at lunch and dinner
cafeterias, fighting, breaking windows, or, the worst one, talking back to the
teacher. The principal means of punishment is to have students do extra
cleaning at the school. Suspensions and expulsions are very rare. Corporal
punishment used to be a major form of discipline in Korea, but has been
recently outlawed to the extent that teachers can be put in jail for hitting
any student.

Clothes

Korean
teenagers wear Western style clothes. In fact, buying clothes is one of the
principal evening pastimes for teenagers, when they’re not studying. As a
result, in almost any town, central business districts are dedicated to
clothing shops. Shopping malls and department stores are also popular.One thing noticeable among Korean teens
is that they strictly follow a color scheme. A palette of clothing colors that
teens choose from may be limited to navy blue, white, denim blue, gray, ochre,
lavender, brown, mild pink, laurel green, olive, rust, silver blue, mustard
yellow, and black. Very few teens, or people of any age for that matter, will
choose colors that are not among these. However, this is not to say that the
clothes are boring. Combinations of these colors may exist in the form of
pinstripes and plaid. Most teens wear comfortable, slightly loose fitting
clothes including skirts, shirts, and slacks. Most teens wear black slip on
shoes or sandals. Baseball caps, even some worn backwards, are common. Shorts,
earrings (even on boys), and sunglasses are just becoming popular, though
primarily in Seoul.

Brighter
colors are reserved for traditional events such as weddings and people
representing Korea as a country. In these cases, the same colors as found on
temples may be found in Korean formal dresses—known as hanbok—and business uniforms, such as those for
flight attendants. (See palette of colors for traditional Korean events below.)

The
same colors, especially gray, navy blue, white, black, and olive green, are
often integral parts of student uniforms. Though many schools are discontinuing
the use of school uniforms, they are still the rule rather than the exception.
Students are generally required to wear uniforms every day, but are usually not
permitted earrings or other piercings, tinted hair, tattoos, or make up,
although these features are certainly gaining popularity among college-age
students. Students are also required to wear a badge with their own photo and
their name printed[3]. They also
generally wear sandals with white socks as part of their uniform.

7. Recreation for Teens in South Korea

Sports
also play a major role in Korean teenage life. There are professional leagues
for soccer, baseball, and basketball, and all are popular. Korea was named
joint host with Japan for the 2002 World Cup Soccer Championships, for which 10
soccer stadiums and a new international airport were built.

Many
teens have been inspired by the success of Koreans in the Olympics. In 1988,
Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics, and South Korean athletes performed well.
Athletes from North Korea, however, were not permitted to participate in the
Seoul games due to a boycott by its government. Nevertheless, team sports such
as team handball and team hockey and individual sports such as speed skating
and cycling have become popular because of the success of Koreans in these
events. School gyms often provide team handball goals, almost every school has
a soccer field, and many schools sport roller blading clubs. Many schools now
also have rooms where students may play Korean billiards, a game similar to
pool known as danggu that was outlawed
to teenagers until the early 1990s. Skiing and speed skating are popular, as
the winter months are quite cold and yield tremendous amounts of snow.

Most notable has been the increase
in popularity in the marathon. The first Korean marathon hero was actually Sohn
Kee-jung, who won a gold medal in the1936 Olympics in Berlin when he ran under
the Japanese flag for political reasons (Korea was under Japanese rule at the
time). Two more marathon heroes have emerged since. In 1992, Hwang Young-jo
became the second Korean to win the gold medal in 1992 Olympics in Barcelona,
and I Bong-Ju won the 2001 Boston Marathon. As a result, it is now quite common
to see people, including teenagers, jogging and running for daily exercise, and
competitive marathons are being developed throughout the country, even one
called the “Nude Marathon.”

Koreans
also have idols in individuals with success in popular sports in foreign
countries. Women look up to Bak Se Ri, who has had tremendous success in the
United States on the Ladies Professional Golf Tour. Bak Chan-Ho is a pitcher
for the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a result, both TV and radio stations present
Dodger games whenever he is pitching.

8. Entertainment for Teen Life in South Korea

Korean
teenagers jokingly list sleep as their favorite pastime. However, they also
list an abundance of activities that occupy their spare time, among them
entertainment. Korean teens list music and sports as their greatest forms of
entertainment.

When
Korean teens aren’t studying, they are often listening to music. There
are a number of teenage boy bands and girl bands that have gained popularity
recently, and their photographs are often for sale in bookstores. Teen
magazines are also popular. However, when asked about their favorite music,
most Korean teens will answer in terms of style rather than artist. Current
forms of rock, pop, and even traditional Korean music are popular with teens.

Korean hip hop, a very popular
style, often includes a melodic introduction with a rap in Korean in the
middle. This style is noteworthy in that it is the base for modern Korean
dancing. On weekend evenings, young people often congregate outside large
department stores where a stage is set up. Here, local school groups can perform
a dance routine they’ve been practicing before a large audience and with
bright colorful lights behind them. Some stages are so popular that entire
street blocks are closed to traffic because so many people have gathered to
watch the hip hop dancing.The importance of English as an international
language and the prevalence of Western record store chains have helped Western
music maintain popularity. MTV Asia provides time slots devoted to Korean music
each day. As a result, Korean music has become more popular throughout Asia.
Likewise, music from other Asian countries also has gained tremendous
popularity in Korea. In this respect, karaoke rooms, known as noreibang, are extremely popular with teenagers. The influence
comes from the Japanese invention of “empty orchestra” in which
people may publicly sing popular songs in bars or special karaoke rooms.
Additionally, almost every Chinese video will have the lyrics of any song
subtitled across the bottom of the screen so that people may sing along with
the song. As a result, these traditions have passed into Korean society, and
teenagers are regular customers at noreibang. In fact, noreibang have become so popular that some karaoke buildings
are several stories tall.

9. Religious Practices and Cultural Ceremonies for Teen Life in Korea

Surveys
of teenagers show that they comfortably exist amidst a variety of religions.
However, unlike some of Korea’s neighbors, Koreans, teenagers included,
practice whatever religion they follow very seriously. While a third of
teenagers may mention that they don’t follow a particular religion, even
these students usually have a sense of interest and respect for those who do
practice.

As for Christianity and Buddhism,
the intense dedication in which Koreans practice these may be in part due to
their observation that religion is not permitted in North Korea at all. As a
result, South Korea is the second most Christian nation in Asia following the
Philippines.

The emphasis on religion in Korea
is easily observed by the plethora of churches and temples which pepper the
nation. Large Christian churches may be found in any city or town. At night,
one may look into a skyline and see numerous neon crosses lighting the night
sky in a single vista. Additionally, it is not unusual to see teenagers wearing
teeshirts that say “Jesus” or a reference to a church outing.
Buddhist temples are also abundant. Most neighborhoods have at least one small
temple; however, ancient temples, dating as far back as the ninth century, may
be found in many prefectural and national parks.

As with clothing, Buddhist temples
follow a specific palette of color. If one goes to a Buddhst shrine, the
following color scheme will be evident. First, one sees the paint color of the
bark-color base of the temple. Then the foundational color of Oriental blue
which supports all decorative design. These designs include images of dragons,
tigers, and Buddhist symbols, drawn in bright purple, blue, green, orange, and
yellow. Often these decorations are separated by black and white outlines.
Finally, most temples add rose pink, scarlet, and black paintings of decorative
flowers, most notably the national flower of Korea, known as the Rose of
Sharon, or mugunghwa. (The mugunghwa
is so revered that it is also the name of
one of Korea’s national railway lines.) All these colors are also often
displayed in formal hanbok (the
traditional and formal woman’s dress) and in uniforms in which the
display of Korean culture is considered important.

Other
religions also thrive in Korea. A form of traditional Korean shamanism is
practiced, often for purposes of solace and meditation. Confucianism used to be
popular, mostly due to its views towards ethics and respectful politics.
However, it has lost popularity recently as it has become viewed by young
people as overly patriarchal and conservative. Islam and Judaism are growing
religions in Korea as foreigners with those religions have immigrated.
Nevertheless, the tradition of Asia philosophies is still abundantly apparent,
as is evidenced in the South Korean flag. The flag for South Korea, known as ttagukki, has its roots in Eastern philosophy and religion.
The circle indicates balance and harmony, known as yin and yang.
The circle is cut into two parts: the red being the positive yang, and the blue the negative yin. Surrounding the circle are four different trigrams,
representing the four elements which make up the universe: heaven, earth, fire,
and water. No matter what religion one practices in Korea, these elements are
at the forefront of religious thought throughout the country.

Holidays
are important in Korea. Many are rooted in customs related to traditional
Korean religion and to farming, but new holidays now honor milestones in Korean
history. There are two kinds: those set to the solar calendar, such as New
Year’s Day, Memorial Day (June 6), Constitution Day (July 17), and
Christmas, and those set to the lunar calendar, such as Lunar New Year (the
first day of the first moon), Buddha’s Birthday (eighth day of the fourth
moon), and Moon Festival Day, known as Chuseok (15th day of the eighth moon), when teenagers can pay
homage to their ancestors. During Chuseok, teenagers celebrate their own
version of Thanksgiving, a day full of food consisting of wine, cakes, jujube
berries, chestnuts, pears, and persimmons; however, many of these foods are
then taken to their family shrines and are offered to their ancestors.
Teenagers also often participate in Children’s Day—May 5—by
spending the day at the zoo, amusement park, department store, or ball game
with their families. Furthermore, teenagers in Korea take Valentine’s Day
through various stages throughout the year: Only girls give chocolate gifts on
Valentine’s Day (February 14), and only to boys. On March 14, roles are
reversed when boys give white cookies to the girls who gave them chocolate on
February 14. Korean teenagers also play with the 14th day of each
month throughout the year. May 14 is Rose Day when couples give each other
roses, and November 11 is Pocky Day, when couples can give each other chocolate
covered pretzel sticks, called Pocky. The day was moved to the 11th
from the 14thbecause
the shape of five pretzel sticks looks like II/II.

New Year’s DayJanuary
1 and 2

Independence Movement DayMarch 1

To
commemorate the uprising against Japanese oppression in 1919.

Arbor DayApril
5

To
celebrate Korea’s effort to re-establishing forests.

Children’s DayMay
5

A
day for families to go to the zoo, amusement park, department store, or
ballgame.

Memorial DayJune
6

To
honor those who died in war.

Constitution DayJuly
17

To
honor the founding of the Republic of Korea in 1948.

Liberation DayAugust
15

To
remember the day the Japanese surrendered in 1945.

National Foundation DayOctober
3

In
memory of Tan-gun, supposedly the first Korean, born in 2333 BC.

Christmas DayDecember
25

Often schools and official
offices are closed for these holidays. However, other fun holidays are also
observed, even when school is in session. These include

Valentine’s DayFebruary
14

When
girls give chocolate to the boys they are interested in.

White DayMarch
14

When
boys give white cookies to the girls who gave them chocolate on February 14.
Korean teenagers also play with the 14th day of each month
throughout the year. May 14 is Rose Day when couples give each other roses, and
November 11 is Pocky Day, when couples can give each other chocolate covered
pretzel sticks, called Pocky. The day was moved to the 11th from the
14thbecause the shape
of five pocky sticks looks like II/II.

Hangeul DayOctober
9

In
commemoration of the man who invented the Korean alphabet.

Korea follows the solar
calendar, so offical holidays concerning the lunar calendar are different each
year. Nevertheless, school is dismissed on these days, as well:

Lunar New Yearfirst
day of the first moon

Usually
occurs at the end of January or beginning of February

Buddha’s Birthdayeighth
day of the fourth moon

Also
known as Feast of the lanterns

Chuseok15th
day of the eighth moon

Commemorated
in honor of family ancestry

10. Conclusion for Teen Life in Korea

The
teenagers of South Korea in the early 21st century may be the
happiest and most prosperous in Korean history. As one of the most isolated peoples
on Earth, they are growing up in an industrialized information center for the
world. They aspire to high educational standards, study like crazy, and value
both sleep and intense play during their rare spare time. The stresses of their
lives are shaped by exams and pressures to enter top educational institutions,
but they are supported lovingly and financially by their teachers and their
parents. They feel they will see a unified Korea within their lifetime, but
they’re not in a hurry to achieve it. It’s not a surprise since
they are taught to avoid mistakes at all cost. They are perhaps the first
generation ever to demonstrate pride for their roots and comfortably coexist
with people traditionally known as their invaders and enemies. They sing rock music
and dance at department stores. They love their traditional foods, but they
sculpt them in the forms of hamburgers and pizza. They live in constricted
space, but have learned to deal with responsibility and live with a large
number of people. They exude pride for their culture, but yearn to express it
outside the limiting confines of their geography.

The
flag for South Korea, known as ttagukki,
has its roots in Eastern philosophy and religion. The circle indicates balance
and harmony, known as yin and yang. The circle is cut into two parts: the red being the
positive yang, and the blue the
negative yin. Surrounding the
circle are four different trigrams, representing the four elements which make
up the universe.